The present invention relates to industrial burners, and particularly to a small air/fuel or oxygen/fuel burner. More particularly, the present invention relates to a spark-ignition burner which can be used as a small self-sufficient burner or as a pilot ignition service for a larger burner.
Burners are frequently used in industrial environments to provide heat to various processes. For example, burners are used to provide heat to boilers, furnaces, kilns, rotary dryers, fume incinerators, pollutant-burning afterburners, and laboratory equipment. Some burners are also used as pilots that ignite larger burners. Many burners are configured to convert air and fuel into a combustible air-and-fuel mixture which is then ignited to produce a flame for providing heat to a process.
According to the present invention, a burner includes an outer conduit and an electrical spark generator including an inner conduit passing through a passageway formed in the outer conduit. Fuel discharged from an outlet formed in the inner conduit mixes with oxygen passing through the passageway formed in the outer conduit in a combustion zone within that passageway to create a combustible oxygen and fuel mixture in the combustion zone.
The electrical spark generator further includes an electrical current provider and a ground pin. The electrical current provider is coupled to the inner conduit to establish a flow of electrical current through the inner conduit. The ground pin is positioned to lie in the combustion zone established within the passageway formed in the outer conduit. An electrical arc is formed in the combustion zone between the inner conduit and the ground pin to create a spark and ignite the combustible mixture of oxygen and fuel extant in the combustion zone.
An insulator is coupled to the inner conduit and a connector is coupled to the insulator and the outer conduit to support the inner conduit in the passageway formed in the outer conduit. The insulator is formed to include a passageway receiving a portion of the inner conduit therein. Another insulator is provided to lie between a fuel supply and the inner tube and is formed to conduct fuel passing from the fuel supply into the inner conduit.
Additional features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.